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08/06/2012

Happy 1st Birthday, Adelaide!

Who knew one day could bring so many emotions. On the one hand, I can't believe a whole year has gone by since our little munchkin entered this world. On the other, it feels like my pre-baby life was eons ago.

There are other things that come along with this milestone, too -- namely, an urge to get back into my business full-time. This urge is driven by a couple of things: 1) I'd like to make more money than the bare minimum needed to pay the bills, and 2) All my friends are going back to work.

I didn't know this before I gave birth, but Mommyhood is kind of like a club -- especially here, where our mat leaves are 12 months. In that year, you make friends with women who have babies close in age to yours. You share your experiences and ask questions and join fitness classes and go to community centre programs. Then, at the 12 month mark, everyone transitions their babies into daycare and heads off to work -- except the freelance mommies. Right now, the "freelance mommy" group is made up of me and me alone. If you know of any others, please feel free to pass their contact info along because it's a little lonely over here.

I know this is just another transition that I will battle through, but I'm not going to lie - it's a little tough right now. It's even tougher because full-time work isn't an option for me quite yet. A full-time spot opened up at our daycare recently and, even though we really wanted to take it, it just wasn't in the cards for us financially.

I know a lot of people would consider incurring debt to afford it, but I just couldn't fathom that. One of my freelancing friends/mentors said that she lived off a line of credit when her kids were little. The other option is to take the part-time route for now, and get back into full swing down the road. I might consider getting a nanny/babysitter for one afternoon a week this fall, in addition to our two days at daycare. And then switching to three-day-per-week daycare when the price drops at 18 months (which will be in February).

Again, any advice is much appreciated! In the meantime, I will focus on enjoying this fleeting life stage -- and watch my little girl eat cake for the first time!

One year ago today our little Adelaide decided to make her appearance!

Comments

Happy 1st Birthday, Adelaide!

Who knew one day could bring so many emotions. On the one hand, I can't believe a whole year has gone by since our little munchkin entered this world. On the other, it feels like my pre-baby life was eons ago.

There are other things that come along with this milestone, too -- namely, an urge to get back into my business full-time. This urge is driven by a couple of things: 1) I'd like to make more money than the bare minimum needed to pay the bills, and 2) All my friends are going back to work.

I didn't know this before I gave birth, but Mommyhood is kind of like a club -- especially here, where our mat leaves are 12 months. In that year, you make friends with women who have babies close in age to yours. You share your experiences and ask questions and join fitness classes and go to community centre programs. Then, at the 12 month mark, everyone transitions their babies into daycare and heads off to work -- except the freelance mommies. Right now, the "freelance mommy" group is made up of me and me alone. If you know of any others, please feel free to pass their contact info along because it's a little lonely over here.

I know this is just another transition that I will battle through, but I'm not going to lie - it's a little tough right now. It's even tougher because full-time work isn't an option for me quite yet. A full-time spot opened up at our daycare recently and, even though we really wanted to take it, it just wasn't in the cards for us financially.

I know a lot of people would consider incurring debt to afford it, but I just couldn't fathom that. One of my freelancing friends/mentors said that she lived off a line of credit when her kids were little. The other option is to take the part-time route for now, and get back into full swing down the road. I might consider getting a nanny/babysitter for one afternoon a week this fall, in addition to our two days at daycare. And then switching to three-day-per-week daycare when the price drops at 18 months (which will be in February).

Again, any advice is much appreciated! In the meantime, I will focus on enjoying this fleeting life stage -- and watch my little girl eat cake for the first time!

One year ago today our little Adelaide decided to make her appearance!